


In Pieces, Shattered

by emperor_nasch



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 00:53:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10231874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emperor_nasch/pseuds/emperor_nasch
Summary: Shinji slowly loses hope of Crow ever coming back to him...and a surprise visitor at his door only further dampens his spirits.





	

**Author's Note:**

> yeah this was written...before the infamous deux ex machina so
> 
> it is what it is
> 
> i still think these two are practically canon, but i digress

Shinji’d lost count of how many days had gone by since Crow left for Fusion. It could’ve been last week for all he knew, or perhaps it could’ve been longer - weeks, a month? He couldn’t give an educated guess if he wanted to. But in the back of his mind, the thought of ‘maybe I don’t want to know how long he’s been gone’ lingered. Because as more time passed by, the chance of his one and only coming home safely got smaller and smaller.

 _Maybe I’m just over-reacting_ , he thought, mindlessly stirring his terrible excuse for a cup of coffee. _Maybe he’ll surprise me and come back tonight…or tomorrow. Anything’s possible, right?_

He learned the hard way that ‘anything’s possible’ isn’t the best statement to follow when the life of your soulmate is on the line.

A knock on the front door snapped Shinji from his thoughts. He stood, scraping his chair harshly on the floor as it scooted backward, and headed for the knocking. Shinji was damn near knocked off his feet when he laid eyes upon the former Tops champion duelist, whose sheer presence, even now, solemnly standing outside the residential area in the commons, was intimidating.

“Jack?” It was all he could manage before the blond held out a small box.

“He wanted you to have this.”

Shinji gingerly took the box, holding it delicately in his palms as Jack spun around to leave. He paused briefly, breathing in deeply before he spoke, voice trembling nervously.

“We spoke the same night we left. He told me where to find you if anything happened to him. He also wanted me to give you what’s inside that box. You were…special to him. It’s a shame he can’t tell you that himself.”

Shinji opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he heaved a sigh and watched Jack walk back to his D-Wheel. When the blond was out of sight, Shinji returned inside, closing the door behind him and snapping the lock closed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He knew what was in that box.

He _knew._

And that was _exactly_ why he didn’t want to open it. Because opening that box and seeing his best friend immortalized in a card would shatter any hope he had left that Crow would eventually come back.

But…he had to open it.

He needed closure.

He needed to be sure Crow was gone.

Inhaling deeply, Shinji carefully lifted the lid off the box, feeling his heart pound like a hammer against his ribs.

However, instead of being faced with the image of his friend, a folded up slip of paper popped up over the box’s edge. Shinji fished it out, choosing not to look at what lay beneath it.

His heart wouldn’t let him. Not yet.

He carefully unfolded the sheet, smiling softly as familiar handwriting met his eyes. For a brief moment, soothing warmth enveloped his entire being, but the letter’s contents quickly extinguished it.

Shinji started reading from the beginning, taking in the nuances of every letter and every word, subconsciously holding his breath the entire time.

 

 

_Hey Shinji_

_I know you know why you’re reading this. With any luck, Jack made it back and did what I asked him to do._

_Anyway - I’m sorry. For letting you down, the kids…I know you guys wanted us to go so you could help everyone else recover and rebuild, and I know my conscience wouldn’t have let me live it down if I didn’t go. But I’m not coming back, Shinji. Wherever I end up, hopefully it’s somewhere peaceful._

_Before I go, I want to tell you something. Something I’ve kept to myself for a very long time._

_I love you, Shinji. Both as my best friend, the person I owe my life to, and as the one guy who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You were a second father to my kids. You always brought them shit, regardless of the expenses. You helped me feed them, clothe them, and basically raise them to be who they are today. I’ve never doubted you love them any less than I do._

_They’re going to need you now, Shinji. More than they ever have. Be strong for them. Be strong for me._

_I miss you already. Give the kids hugs for me, tell them I love them._

_And may we meet again in the next life._

As he finished reading, Shinji could feel his eyes burning, stinging as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. He didn’t need to look at the remaining item in the box to know his worst fear was finally confirmed.

Crow really _was_ gone.

More tears welled up in his eyes, overflowing when he choked out a sob. More followed, and shortly afterward, he put his head in his hands and simply let himself go.

And he sat for a solid few minutes, crying hard into the safety of his palms before softly sliding the box over toward him. He lifted the card out, careful not to bend, tear, or otherwise damage it. When he laid eyes on the familiar, beautiful face inlaid on the card’s surface, the tears came hard again.

Shinji brought the card to his lips, kissing it sweetly and delicately. He managed a brief smile.

“Welcome home, old friend,” he sobbed, clutching the card to his chest. A dull ache developed in his head and his heart; he knew he’d never feel whole again, not after a loss of that magnitude.

 

 

_I’ll never get to tell him._

_He’ll never know how much I loved him back._

_I should’ve told him._

_I’m an idiot._

Shinji jumped sky high at the sound of the door creaking open.

His sobbing had attracted the kid’s attention. _Shit._ It wasn’t like he wasn’t going to tell them what happened, sooner or later it would become painfully obvious their dad wasn’t coming back and how the hell could Shinji explain _that one_?

He wanted to tell them. But on his own terms, when he wasn’t a hysterical crying mess of a human being.

They weren’t going to take it well, that much he knew.

“Shinji, what’s wrong?” Amanda piped up, concern evident in her voice.

Quickly wiping away his tears, Shinji turned to greet the three.

“Hey guys, did I freak you guys out a little bit?” he asked, trying desperately to put on a smile.

“We heard you crying and-” Tanner piped in next.

“Crying isn’t usually a good thing and we wanna know if you’re ok.”

It was a split-second decision whether or not to tell them the news, but Shinji went with his heart, and what he thought Crow would want.

 

“Can you guys come in here for a few? I have something…kinda important to tell you…”


End file.
